Union chiefs said today that they believe a social worker was unfairly dismissed because he dared to blow the whistle on the alleged neglect of children in care.

Charles Faber was suspended by Cardiff County Council after appearing in a BBC Wales TV documentary Week In Week Out last October warning that children in care were being neglected.

He said he decided to speak out after he felt the warnings he had previously voiced about children slipping through the net were being ignored.

In the documentary, he highlighted children whose cases remained "unallocated" to a social worker for months through lack of staff.

The senior member of the council's children's services emergency team was first moved from his job and eventually sacked.

The council claimed they took this action because he was under investigation for mismanagement and not because he had appeared in the programme.

Since an appeal to reinstate Mr Faber was overturned by the council, Unison's Cardiff County Council branch has now decided to release information about the case.

Branch secretary Peter King said: "Charles Faber was sacked because he attempted to highlight the severe problems being faced in the children's homes of Wales capital.

"Despite the authority's insinuations, he followed the council's whistle-blowing policy last year by taking his concerns to the children's services scrutiny committee.

"But instead of acting on the points stated by one of the authority's most experienced social workers, the decision was made to investigate Charles Faber.

"He was consequently moved from his post under the suspension policy and, fearing that his concerns would be brushed under the carpet, chose to appear briefly on a BBC television programme to highlight the current crisis. Within hours of the broadcast, Charles was suspended from work.

"He consequently faced a disciplinary procedure for financial mismanagement and although the vast majority of accusations were found to be groundless he was sacked. These are all unquestionable facts."

Mr King said Mr Faber accepts all his paperwork was not accurate and he spent more than his budget, but there was never any question of corruption and his management went unquestioned until his decision to raise the subject of neglect with the council.

"We accept that he did not follow procedures and was likely to receive some level of disciplinary action, but to sack him was totally out of context with his actions," said Mr King.

"I am convinced that Charles Faber was sacked for having the courage to legitimately highlight a crisis in children's services - a crisis that the council is still not prepared even to recognise."

Geraint Evans, chief human resources officer at the authority, said: "Charles Faber was dismissed as a result of management practises he adopted and which emerged as part of a financial audit investigation.

"He was not dismissed because of any whistle blowing activities or for appearing on a TV programme.

"At the time of his TV appearance he had been under investigation for some time for other extremely serious issues."

Unison is instigating an employment tribunal on Mr Faber's behalf and hundreds of Unison members in Cardiff are due to take strike action on Wednesday March 27 in an effort to see him reinstated.

Mr Evans said the council regretted that the union had opted for industrial action.